The design of household and mobile electronic devices has often reflected a desire to accommodate a user's desire for visual variation. This may be to distinguish the device from others of similar design, to make its appearance conform to a particular social environment, or simply to make the item more attractive or more clearly individualized.
Preprinted and customized decals are widely available for many makes of phones, as are auxiliary cases that include panels and shells that have been printed with graphics provided by the user. However, changing decals requires some skill and precision, while changing the graphics in custom-printed cases usually requires that the entire shell be repurchased with new graphics.
Accordingly, there is a desire on the part of consumers to more easily and frequently modify the appearance of their mobile devices. One traditional response to this demand has been to provide an overlay or insert which is designed be mechanically released from the device or its ancillary enclosure.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,229 describes a cover which may be wrapped over a housing to change its color. U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,481 describes an interchangeable faceplate for a telephone of plastic, natural or synthetic leather, paper, metal or fabric. The faceplate is placed under a transparent cover to allow a telephone's appearance to be altered. U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,566 describes a mobile telephone with interchangeable escutcheons so that a user may electively vary a phone's visual aspect.
The personalization of an electrical communication device with a printed image may be taken as a specific subcategory of this wider class of graphic personalization. French patent FR 836,773, published in 1939, discloses a telephone design having a dial with a locket-like picture enclosure at its center. U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,435 details a phone design in which a printed image may be inserted between a numbered transparent sheet and a soft-touch keypad. U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,088 describes a flip-type mobile phone with a transparent cover that encloses a photograph or other artwork. U.S. Pat. No. 6,980,825 describes a handset-style phone that has a removable back cover part with means for holding a picture, the picture then being visible through the installed cover. U.S. Patent Application 2009/0163255 also describes a transparent housing part for a handset that can hold a photographic image.
In general practice, it has also become widely understood that a transparent protective phone sleeve or case, or one with a suitable transparent panel, may be made to entrap and exhibit any thin printed image. It should be generally appreciated that there are many further practices associated with the personalization of mobile devices with user-provided graphics that are not enumerated here, and that such diversity described a widespread interest in customization and visual appeal in the surface design of portable electronics.
Beyond the category of surface design, personal electronic devices or their supplementary cases have also been provided with secondary pockets, compartments, covers and enclosures. In addition to battery and memory storage bays, these ancillary features may includes accommodation for mirrors, cosmetics, credit cards, business cards, coins, currency, receipts, tools, or keys.
By reference to the preceding prior art, it may be observed that these approaches generally involve the removal of a part, or partial disassembly of a device, in order to install an individuating graphic insert. In the case of unpracticed users, the separation of the parts and their necessary reassembly during installation of the graphic insert will inevitably include instances of improper or imperfect use. Particularly, the removal and refitting of relevant parts may distort or break structural connectors. An inexperienced or distracted user may drop, lose or damage loose parts. A mislocated insert may itself cause damage or be damaged owing to improper entrapment between the relevant parts.